Galloway's Half Marathon Training. Jeff Galloway
of miles a year. Through millions of years of evolution, the muscles, tendons, bones, energy systems and cardiovascular capacity adapted and expanded. A series of psychological rewards also developed, which make us feel good about ourselves when we run and walk at the correct pace in a consistent training program.
The primary goal of ancient migration was to reach the next destination. Likewise, the greatest joy for half marathoners comes in crossing the finish line. The perception among those who’ve run both marathons and half marathons is that running the “half” bestows more than half of the satisfaction and achievement of the “full”.
There are quite a few lessons to be learned as one extends one’s endurance limit beyond 13 miles or 21K: conservation of resources, pacing, fluid intake, blood sugar maintenance, etc. But making a mistake during “half” training does not incur the injury risk or the downtime experienced after marathon errors.
Veterans who’ve run the distance before will find in this book a series of highly successful training programs, based upon the time goal. You’ll be introduced to other training components that will make the journey more interesting. Be careful if you’re a veteran doing speed workouts: most of the injuries occur here. It is always best to be conservative.
If you find a way to enjoy a part of every run, your half marathon training can bring joy, satisfaction, achievement, and a positive sense of focus. For many, the challenge teaches individuals that they have unused hidden resources that can be used to deal with other challenges in life. Much of the success and joy comes from a unique endurance blending of body, mind and spirit.
Above all, you will find tools inside this book to take control over your fitness, your attitude, your endurance, your fatigue, your aches/pains, and your vitality. When you use these tools, you become the captain of an injury-free ship and can steer toward a number of positive experiences.
This book is written as one runner to another and is the result of more than 50 years of running, more than four decades of training for half and full marathons, and from having been the “coach” to more than 500,000 runners through my e-coaching, running schools, retreats, books, and individual consultations. None of the advice inside is offered as medical advice. To get help in this area, see a doctor or appropriate medical expert.
I salute all who put themselves to a realistic challenge. If you haven’t done this before, you have one of life’s great rewards waiting for you as you discover that you have much more strength inside than you envisioned.
Chapter 2
SETTING GOALS AND PRIORITIES
By focusing on a few key elements, you have the opportunity to take control over the enjoyment of the running experience. If you’re preparing for your first 21K race, I recommend that you choose the “to finish” schedule, and run slower on every run than you could run on that day. Even after the 20th or 100th race, you’re more likely to remember the details of your first one. Your mission, therefore, should be to weave the training runs, and the race itself, into a positive tapestry of memories that will enrich the rest of your life.
TOP 3 GOALS FOR FIRST TIME HALF MARATHON RUNNERS
1. Finish in the upright position,
2. with a smile on your face, and
3. wanting to do it again.
These three components define the first level of success in any training program, and the degree of enjoyment of each long run. If this is your first race experience at the 13.1 distance, visualize yourself coming across the finish line, demonstrating these three behaviors. The more you focus on this image, the more likely you are to realize this during most of your runs.
RUNNING ENJOYMENT
Find a way to enjoy parts of every run–even the speed training (if you are a time goal runner). Most of your runs should be.…mostly enjoyable. You increase the pleasure of each run by inserting a few social/scenic/mentally refreshing runs every week. Your desire to take your next run, and move up your training to the half marathon and beyond, is enhanced by scheduling the fun sessions first, with one to three of them every week.
STAY INJURY FREE
When injured runners review their journal, they often find the causes of aches and pains. Make a list of past problems, and repeated challenges. After reading the injury section of this book, make the needed adjustments. As you eliminate the injury stress, you can eliminate most (or all) of your injuries.
AVOIDING OVERUSE OR BURNOUT
All of us get the warning signs of overtraining. Unfortunately, we often ignore these or don’t know what they are. Your training journal is a wonderful tool for tracking any possible ache, pain, loss of desire, unusual fatigue that lingers, etc. If you develop an injury, you can review your journal and often find the reasons. This helps you to become more sensitive to future problems and make conservative adjustments in the plan to reduce upcoming injury risk.
BECOME THE CAPTAIN OF YOUR SHIP
When you balance stress and rest, running bestows a sense of satisfaction and achievement that is unsurpassed. Intuitively, we know that this is good for us, mentally and physically. When we decide to use the monitoring tools in this book we take a major amount of control over fatigue, injuries, energy level, and enjoyment of running.
WHEN TO SET A TIME GOAL
After finishing your first half marathon you may choose a time goal, after reading the “Predicting Race Performance” chapter. Many veterans (myself included) decide to stay within their capabilities, use the “to finish” schedule, and enjoy the experience.
I commend all who decide to take on an endurance challenge. Almost everyone who makes it to the finish line will tap into a mysterious and complex source of continuing strength and balance: the human spirit. Enjoy the journey!
Chapter 3
IMPORTANT HEALTH INFORMATION
MEDICAL CHECK
Check with your doctor’s office before you start a strenuous training program. Keep the doctor informed of cardiovascular system irregularities or aches and pains that could be injuries. At first, just tell your physician or head nurse how much running you plan to be doing over the next year. Almost every person will be given the green light. If your doctor tells you not to run, ask why.
Since there are so few people who cannot train even for strenuous goals (if they use a liberal run walk run formula), I suggest that you get a second opinion if your doctor tells you not to run. Certainly the tiny number of people who should not run have good reasons. But the best medical advisor is one who wants you to get the type of physical activity that engages you–unless there are significant reasons not to do so.
RISKS: HEART DISEASE, LUNG INFECTIONS, SPEEDWORK INJURIES
Running tends to bestow a protective effect from cardiovascular disease. But more runners die of heart disease than any other cause, and are susceptible to the same risk factors as sedentary people. Like most other people, runners at risk usually don’t realize it. I know of a number of runners who have suffered heart attacks and strokes who probably could have prevented them if they had taken a few simple tests. Some of these are listed below, but check with your doctor if you have any questions or concerns.
Your heart is the most important organ in your body. This short